Opinion polls are predicting that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's party will lose in Sunday's election for mayor of the southern city of Sao Paulo.
The surveys show incumbent Marta Suplicy of the leftist Worker's Party will be defeated by former health minister Jose Serra of the centrist Brazilian Social Democratic Party, in the second round of balloting for Brazil's financial and industrial capital.
Mr. Serra won the most votes in the first round earlier this month. He lost to Mr. da Silva in the presidential election two years ago.
Ms. Suplicy's tenure as mayor was marked by social works, including the improvement of Sao Paulo's bus system. But a divorce and the recent arrest of a publicity agent for her party, Duda Mendonca, have hurt her image.
On October 2, the Worker's Party made gains in Brazil's first round of balloting for mayors and other local officials in more than five thousand towns and cities.